Peter Bartleby closed the door softly behind him and walked forward to the center of the small room. On one side was a bed, and on the other side was a dresser. Between was barely enough space to open the dresser’s drawers. Ahead of him was a clouded window, in need of a thorough scrubbing inside and out. He set his bags down on the floor and took a stiff knee. He preferred to travel and work as a gentleman, even if the suit had its limitations. In his line of work, a steady hand and a sure eye were his tools of the trade. If it came to physical activity, he hadn’t done his job.
Peter was a hunter, of a particular sort. He specialized in killing the type of beasts other people were unable or unwilling to kill themselves. Two months ago, a man told him that every month, he’d find one of his sheep slaughtered, a bloody mess. Last month, Peter watched the holding pen. He was not surprised to see a lupine beast scamper quietly across the pasture, hop a fence, and kill a sheep. It worked so quickly and soundlessly, that the sheep didn’t even raise an alarm. Peter stalked the lycanthrope back the city limits of this town before he lost track of it.
He double checked the revolver in his holster, making sure all six silver bullets were in order. He unbuckled his bag and opened it completely. Everything was neatly organized and laid out with precision. He was always prepared for anything, but for this trip, he brought along extra silver bullets, a cross, and a Bible. Things of this nature tended to evoke a religious response. Even if showing a cross to a monster wouldn’t keep it away, it gained him favor in the eyes of the villagers. He untied the second revolver and took care loading it up with six more silver bullets from the box of bullets. He was ready. Straightening, he took off his jacket and hung it on the sole hook in the room. He checked the door was locked, pulled the curtains almost completely closed, and lied in bed, putting his revolvers within arms’ reach. The work he would be doing began tonight.
Peter woke up to the sound of a wolf howling in the distance. The rising full moon cast a bright beam through the narrow slit he left in the curtains. It was time. He got out of bed and stretched, reaching for his jacket. He picked up the Bible and shoved it into a pocket in his jacket. There were two holsters on his waist, and he placed a revolver in each. Silver worked without fail on these so-called werewolves, and that was all that worked. Luckily, his fees allowed him two afford all the silver bullets he could ever need for a confrontation. The last thing he wanted was to run out of ammo.
He had been to this town a handful of times, asking questions and scoping it out. He had a very good idea the vampire lived next to the tailor’s house, two blocks away on the other side of the square. It was a crime to kill another person, so he was forced to wait until that person’s shape was changed before he could take the shot. Once dead, the bodies stayed as a wolf, proof that he didn’t keep someone in vain.
The streets were quiet and bright, the moon’s light casting highlights and shadows as if it were day. Nature, the very fiend that cursed his world with werewolves, was also the sole blessing this night by making it as bright as possible. It could have been worse; there could have been clouds. They wouldn’t have stopped the werewolf from shapeshifting, but his job would have been harder without light. There wasn’t a single light on in any of the house. He didn’t even notice any activity in the tavern next to the inn. The streets were deserted as he continued from the inn to the town square by way of moonlight alone. When he reached it, he pulled up short.
Standing on two legs in front of Peter was a wiry wolf. Its front legs hung bent at its side, claws out. Peter watched as its lips pulled back in a snarl, revealing long, sharp-looking teeth. There was still humanity in its yellow eyes, but no human made in God’s image would have been covered in coarse brown hair from the top of its oblong head to the bottoms of its clawed feet. It stared at Peter intently. It seemed in no rush to do anything, even as Peter cautiously drew his revolver.
Out of the corner of his eye, Peter caught movement. His training coming in, he tracked the movement without dropping his attention from the threat in front of him. It turned out to be another werewolf, smaller and greyer than the one in front of him. He didn’t react or show his surprise, but none of his research pointed to two werewolves here. Still, it wasn’t uncommon. Fighting two werewolves alone was ill-advised, so he quickly fired a round from his revolver.
The silver bullet hit the werewolf square in the cheat. The wound grew bright orange and sizzled as the monster fell backward. The gunfire echoed off the buildings of the village. In the distance, Peter heard another howl. He prayed it wasn’t a third werewolf. That would be very bad, indeed.
Peter turned to face the other werewolf who stopped 30 or so feet back at the sound of his revolver. It glared at him, but it seemed unsure of whether engaging would go favorably. Peter helped it out and made its decision for it by sending a bullet into its shoulder. While it might not have been a killshot to a human, the silver leeched its way into the monster’s blood, poisoning it.
Answering the call of the revolver was the response of a dozen different howls and barks. “How can this be?” asked Peter astonished. Turning around, he saw werewolves approaching from all directions, trapping him. He backed up until his heels hit the stone edge of the dry fountain. This many werewolves in one area was unheard of. And no one was going to hear about it. The beasts didn’t hold up as they entered the square. Peter bravely took aim with both guns trained on different werewolves and fired. Four bullets, four dead, eight shots left. It wouldn’t do, there were too many of them. Peter fired again and again, killing off the werewolves closest to him.
An earsplitting howl sounded above him. Looking up, Peter saw a large werewolf perched on top of the fountain. It lunged at him and landed on him, pinning him down. His guns clattered away. Snarling and biting, the horde of werewolves fell upon him and devoured him. Throughout the entire ordeal, not a single house showed any signs of activity.
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